Satisfied with Ben’s quick compliance, Albedo offered a approving nod.
“Excellently reasoned, Tennyson.
Your strategic comprehension has improved drastically.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must return to my esteemed partner—it would be terribly impolite to keep a galactic warlord waiting.”
Albedo offered a theatrical wave, a confident smirk playing on his lips.
“Until our next scheduled engagement, hero.”
Without missing a beat, he raised his left wrist and slammed his palm onto the Ultimatrix dial.
A flash of brilliant crimson light consumed him, leaving the sleek, deep-red frame of Jetray in his place.
With a sharp crack of displaced air, he rocketed upward into the night sky, flying at supersonic speeds toward Vilgax’s rendezvous coordinates.
Within minutes, the destination came into view.
Down in a desolate canyon, Vilgax stood waiting, backed by ranks of towering, white-armored Biooid droids standing in terrifying symmetry.
Jetray streaked downward, banking hard as he touched the earth in a smooth landing right before the warlord.
A flash of red light swept over his body, reverting him to his human appearance.
“My apologies for the delay, Lord Vilgax,” Albedo said smoothly, brushing a speck of dust off his red jacket.
“A minor technical discrepancy required my immediate attention.”
Vilgax didn’t even turn his head.
He offered a curt, dismissive nod, his crimson optic remaining fixated on the dark canyon path.
The warlord stood like a monolithic stone monument, every muscle tense, ready to spring the moment Ben Tennyson walked into the trap to claim the Omnitrix before Albedo could react.
Albedo, on the other hand, couldn’t have been more relaxed.
Having zero interest in Ben’s watch, he casually sauntered over to a flat boulder, brushed off the surface, and sat down with his legs crossed, waiting for the show to start.
Less than ten minutes passed before a plume of dust rose in the distance.
The rapid clack-clack-clack of spherical wheels echoed through the canyon as a blue blur tore through the path.
XLR8 skidded to a halt roughly thirty feet away, reverting to Ben Tennyson in a brilliant flash of green light.
“Vilgax!” Ben demanded, his voice echoing off the canyon walls.
“Release Gwen and Kevin right now!”
Before the warlord could reply, Albedo stepped out from behind a row of Biooids, a sly grin playing on his pale face.
“Ah, Tennyson.
He caught Ben’s eye, subtly raising an eyebrow to signal that the play was officially underway.
Ben caught the cue instantly, adopting an expression of shocked outrage.
“Albedo?!
What are you doing here?
Don’t tell me you’re trying to steal the watch again!”
Albedo let out a dramatic, condescending laugh.
“Is that even a question?
Of course I’m here for the device!
But before we discuss ownership, I believe I owe you a long-overdue beating.
It’s a shame my esteemed partner insists on delivering the killing blow, but I can certainly settle for roughing you up!”
Playing his role to perfection, Albedo raised his left arm and slammed his palm onto the Ultimatrix.
A blinding wave of red light expanded across the canyon floor.
“Humungousaur!”
A towering, brown-skinned Vallesaurian roared into the night air.
Ben didn’t hesitate.
He brought up his own watch, slapped the dial, and was instantly engulfed in a flash of green light.
“Humungousaur!”
Standing face-to-face as twin ten-foot dinosaurian behemoths, Albedo moved first.
He lunged forward before Ben could fully set his stance, driving a massive, scaly fist straight into Ben’s jaw.
The sheer kinetic impact sent Ben flying backward, skidding through the dirt for fifteen feet before crashing into the canyon wall.
Ben spat out a mouthful of dust, let out a furious roar, and charged back, throwing his massive weight into a tackle.
Albedo didn’t dodge.
Instead, as Ben closed the distance, the crimson core on Albedo’s chest flared violently.
His body expanded rapidly, ballooning from ten feet to a colossal sixty feet in height, growing jagged stegosaurian plates down his spine.
Before Ben could adjust to the staggering change in scale, Albedo swung a massive, log-sized fist straight down.
BOOM!
The punch caught Ben squarely in the chest.
(It might have carried a tiny bit of personal spite, but Albedo knew the transformation buffer would absorb any actual physical trauma once reverted.) New chapters come out on g.com first.
Ben flew forty yards through the air, smashing through a massive rock formation that shattered into a rain of gravel before he hit the ground, kicking up a massive dust cloud.
From the shadows, a dark silhouette began to grow within the dust.
Ben, utilizing the growth feature of his own form, expanded into a matching sixty-foot giant, bursting through the debris with a thunderous roar.
The two giant beasts collided in the center of the canyon, their massive fists slamming together with shockwaves that rattled the canyon walls.
They traded brutal blows, grappling for dominance in a display of pure, unadulterated strength that left both of them panting for breath.
Standing on a nearby ridge, Vilgax watched the chaotic melee with a dark, satisfied sneer.
The situation was unfolding better than he could have dreamed.
Let the two fools exhaust themselves; once they were battered and helpless, he would step in, crush Tennyson, and claim the ultimate weapon for himself.
Down in the crater, Albedo and Ben pushed off each other, taking heavy, exaggerated breaths as they feigned exhaustion.
“Is that…
all you’ve got, Albedo?” Ben wheezed, keeping up the act.
“Heh…
you always were overly proud of your limited vocabulary, Tennyson,” Albedo replied, his massive voice rumbling like thunder.
“I haven’t even begun to exert myself.
I’ve had my fun.
Now, allow me to demonstrate the true, absolute supremacy of the Ultimatrix.”
Albedo raised his massive hand and slammed his palm against the crimson crest on his chest.
The Ultimatrix core chimed, unleashing a dark, chaotic surge of red and silver energy.
The simulated evolutionary code forced the Vallesaurian DNA through a brutal, million-year combat simulation, radically rewriting his cellular layout.
His brown hide shifted into a deep, armored olive green.
Thick, midnight-blue shell plating sprouted across his chest, shoulders, and back, forming an indestructible bio-armor.
A massive, spiked keratin helmet encased his head, a heavy spiked flail grew at the tip of his tail, and four heavy silver bio-cannon barrels embedded themselves into his knuckles.
The dust settled, revealing a mechanical nightmare of biological warfare.
“Ultimate Humungousaur!”
Albedo raised his arm cannons, aiming the silver muzzles directly at Ben’s chest as a terrifying grin spread across his armored face.
“Now then, Tennyson…
shall we begin round two?”